Army vet Klein Thaxton surrenders after several hours at CW Breitsman Associates; mother says he needs help

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Updated: 9:41 PM EDT Sep 21, 2012

PITTSBURGH —

A hostage situation at the 3 Gateway Center high-rise lasted several hours Friday until Pittsburgh police negotiators persuaded the armed suspect to come outside and release a man without harm.

"This is totally random," Police Chief Nate Harper said, explaining the chosen location of CW Breitsman Associates on the 16th floor. "The only reason he went into the building was because he noticed the women on their way into work were freely walking in, getting onto the elevator. He felt that there was no security that he had to get past."

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Harper said Klein Thaxton, a 22-year-old Army veteran, told police that he woke up "in an evil mood" around 3 a.m. at the three-quarter-way house in Beechview where he was staying, and he got on his bicycle and rode downtown with a kitchen knife, hammer, cellphone and charger in a bag. He contemplated using the hammer on a traffic officer, but thought better of it because he didn't want to get shot, so he hung out on Liberty Avenue and ate a candy bar, Harper said.

Eventually, according to police, Thaxton entered the 3 Gateway building and took the elevator to the 22nd floor -- but, finding a secure entrance with a keypad and card swipe, he went down to 16, where he saw Charlie Breitsman sitting in an office.

"He asked him, did he have an iPhone?" Harper said. "As Charlie was answering the question, he noticed that Charlie also had a computer and Charlie also had a TV, and he felt this was the office where he needed to be -- at which time, he brandished the knife, terrorized Charlie, opened the door and hollered, 'If you aren't Charlie, you better leave.' "

A witness told WTAE that someone named Sara -- which is Breitsman's daughter's name -- ran out of the office and screamed for someone to call 911. Police responded, negotiations ensued, and Thaxton's loved ones -- including his mother, sister, brother and, finally, a girlfriend -- were brought to the scene in an effort to coax him outside.

"I haven't talked to him in, like, a couple weeks. I just want him to get the help he needs, and that's it," said Thaxton's mother, Rhonda. "I have no clue (what led to Friday's incident). I don't know. Like I said, I just want my son to get the help he needs."

Thaxton made no comment as he walked outside to surrender and face charges of kidnapping, terroristic threats and aggravated assault. Police spokeswoman Diane Richard added, "He is a sick young man and we do need to take measures to see he is taken care of as well."

Multiple updates were made to Thaxton's Facebook page during the situation, but police eventually got the page shut down. One of his posts said: "this life im livn rite now i dnt want anymore ive lost everything and i aint gettn it back instead of walkn around all broke n (expletive) while (racial epithet) stunt on me n (expletive) "

At one point, police believed he had a gun -- because they say he threatened to shoot during negotiations -- and the charger poking out of his bag made people think it was an explosive device. But police now say he had neither a gun nor a bomb with him.